CAPT. Thomas A. Mengesha USAR (Retired) and Iraq War Veteran stars in the Off-Broadway play "Shades of War". The play is based on a true life story!

Financial Benifits of Military Deployment

There seems to be a great debate among the service members that are deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The debate centers around the belief by those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan that service members serving in Kuwait are less deserving of Rest and Recuperation Leave and that their service is less dangerous and thus not worthy of receiving all the benefits of those serving in a combat zone. (Despite the fact that service in Kuwait is considered service in a combat zone!)

The fact of the matter is those serving in Kuwait, Qatar and other locations in the region but outside of Iraq and Afghanistan are just as vulnerable to being attacked and killed as those service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those serving in Kuwait may get a false sense of security, as they are not being shot at daily. But all must rest assure that even in Kuwait, that boarders Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as those serving in Qatar home to the media conglomerate Al Jazeera that has been viewed by some as very pro Islamic extreme, have forces living within their borders that would love to do serious harm to the American way of life as well as kill service members.

The bottom line is, never let anyone tell you that you are less of a combat soldier and not deserving to wear the combat patch nor receive the benefits of being in a war zone. The truth of the matter is we are all in this war on terrorism together and the war in Iraq could not succeed without the support and service of those serving in Kuwait as well as others around the world.

Moreover, we are all away from family, friends and love ones and regardless of where you serve you feel the separation.

There are many financial and other benefits that service members have as a result of their deployment in the combat zone. As discussed earlier, they will receive certain tax benefits as well as additional money does to their service in a combat zone. There are also various savings and investment programs that should be considered. Here are a couple for you to think about. In my book, “The Service Member’s Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed." I go into great detail outline and discussing the major programs.

RIP/TOA (Relieve in Place and Transfer of Authority)

Now that you have arrived in theater and know where you will work, you probably are wondering what happens next? Regardless of where you end up, prior to jumping into your job, you will go through what is referred to as a RIP/TOA. RIP/TOA stands for Relieve in Place and Transfer of Authority. It is the sequence of events where one military unit replaces another in a theatre or area of operations. This is an opportunity for the outgoing unit to train their back-fill. Usually what happens during this time is the outgoing unit personnel will continue doing their job while the new unit personnel sit next to the outgoing personnel. This is done for about a week. Subsequently, the new unit service members will then take over and the outgoing personnel will ensure the job is being done correctly. This is also referred to as the “right seat/left sear” ride which is part of the RIP/TOA process. It is said that this phrase has its origins in drivers education were the student driver and instructor sit side by side.

Once the right seat/left seat training is completed there is generally a ceremony referred to as the Transfer of Authority or TOA. This basically means the new unit personnel have assumed all responsibilities and duties of the outgoing unit personnel.

As you begin your tour of duty I recommend that regardless of your duty location that you make the most of your time in your new controlled environment. How you spend your time will be detected by the location and mission you have.

For example service members stationed in Qatar may have greater freedoms then say someone in Kuwait. Service members in Kuwait will have greater freedoms then service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, one thing is certain; you will have some free time. How you use it can pay big dividends to you in the future.

While I was deployed to Kuwait I focused on myself and what I wanted to change about myself. A major goal I had while I was deployed was to become more spiritually in tune with life. So I started reading the bible and a book written by Rick Warren entitled "Purpose Driven Life". That book helped change my life.

As I indicated earlier in this book, when I was mobilized I weighed in excess of 316lbs and had a 54 inch waist. Getting in shape was a major goal I had. At the end of my deployment I had dropped approximately 100lbs and reduced my waist size to 38 inches. This took sacrifice and commitment. There are many misconceptions about military food, however, one thing is certain, while you are in a deployed environment on a major military installation lack of food will never be a problem. In addition you will be exposed to no less then 4 feedings per day and all the cake and ice-cream you desire. It takes a disciplined person who is committed to losing weight to avoid falling into the trap of gaining weight.

In my book; The Service Member’s Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed. I discuss in great detail how I made some remarkable positive life changes in mind, body and soul.

Remembering the victims of Ft. Hood Texas

My prayers go out to the family and victims of the senseless attack on our service members on Fort Hood in Texas.

Political Activities by Service Members

It seems that for as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with politics. As a child growing up on Pawley’s Island South Carolina, I was one of those rare children that would enjoy watching the news as well as Sunday morning talk shows. Even to this day when I want to relax, I will sit down in front of the television and watch a good talk/news program. If I have to take a long road trip I will listen to talk radio over a music station any day. However, doing this drives my daughter Marissa crazy as she is a huge Hannah Montana and Keyshia Cole fan.

I do not know were this fascination with news, information and politics came from but for what ever reason; it is at the core of who I am. Maybe it came from a recorded sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I heard as a child. As I recall the name of Dr. King’s sermon was “The Drum Major Instinct”. That sermon affects me to this day. If you ever get a chance to read it in it’s entirety you should but it would be even better if you heard the words as spoken by Dr. King. The following is just a small part of that sermon.

“…And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be
important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be
great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your
servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning, the
thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means
that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have
a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your
verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have
to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You
only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you
can be that servant…”

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/680204.000_Drum_Major_Instinct.html

While a student in college at The University of South Carolina, I ran for several political offices. These offices ranged from being appointed as Chief Student Advocate to running for student Senator, as well as my short but valiant attempt at becoming student body President. I actually did pretty well considering I was considered the new kid on the block and was out spent by my opponents. You would be surprised at what some of those kids spent to run for office. You would have thought we were trying to run for President of the United States.

I remember campaigning like I was running for President of the United States. In fact, I coined the phrase “State of the University Address”. When asked about some of the changes I would bring into office if elected, I responded that I would give weekly State of the University Addresses to keep the students informed about the goings-on on campus.

However, when it comes to political activities while in uniform, service members must think twice. I have been involved with many election campaigns over the years from local, state and federal elections but while wearing the uniform there are certain types of activities that I, nor any other service member, can undertake.

In short while in uniform, a service member can not carry on certain types of political activities. Types of activates forbidden while in uniform include but are certainly not limited to attending rallies, using government vehicles or conducting political activities while working, using their military influence to interfere with the election process as well as speaking before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.

I should also point out that as an officer serving in the military, it is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice or UCMJ to speak out against the President. I remember a case of a military General that made some disparaging remarks about then President Clinton. After those remarks came to light the general was forced to resign.

However, you are allowed to speak as a private citizen and of course while not in uniform about a particular candidate you would like to support. You can give money to the candidate just as any private citizen can do. According to the Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, you may also “attend partisan and nonpartisan political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates, conventions, or activities as a spectator when not in uniform and when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn.” Remember, you must not be in uniform! For more information relating to the Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 which relates to political activities by members of the armed forces visit:http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134410p.pdf

Shipping Items home from the war front...

From souvenirs to additional equipment, it is surprising just how much “stuff” service members acquire during their deployment. Most service members, after spending a year in a deployed environment, will accumulate a tremendous amount of property. I was surprised at how much “stuff” I had acquired after only being in Kuwait for 1 year. It should then come as no surprise that after spending two years in the desert, I pretty much amassed a small museum of artifacts and items that I had picked up along my travels throughout the Middle East.

The question that comes up often among service members deals with shipping personnel property back home. The answer is not as simple as one might think. Making a hasty decision could cost you hundred dollars in unnecessary packaging and shipping expenses at the post office. All too often service members will pay hundreds of dollars to ship their items home. However, there is an avenue of shipping your personnel property home that cost nothing.

The Central Receiving and Shipping Point or “CRSP Yard” as it has come to be known in some circles is a great opportunity for service members to ship large amounts of personnel property home at no cost. Well actually the items are not sent to your home but to a military center closet to your home. From there, you must retrieve the items.

You may ask yourself why do this when all you may want to do is put everything in your unit designated “conex”? That may be an option; however, most unit conexs have to be packed for shipment as much as 45 days prior to the unit departing from theater. Most importantly not all deployed service members will return to the home station of the unit they deployed with.

As an example, when I was deployed in 2006, I was considered an Individual Agmentee (IA). My Reserve Unit was a unit in Michigan but my deploying unit, with whom I had no previously relationship with, was in South Carolina. Sending my personnel items in the Unit conex of the South Carolina unit would make no sense as I live in Michigan and that is were I would return. Also, the unit I deployed with left a year prior to my redeployment in 2008.

Shipping my property through the Central Shipping and Receiving Point or “CRSP Yard” was the perfect choice for me. However, it is important to point out that you will still have the restriction on items sent in the mail in much the same way as you would at the post office. For example you will not be able to mail back hazardous material, weapons, or classified material in most cases.

Arrangements may have to be made for customs agents to inspect your shipment prior to mailing. However, if you are willing to undergo a few minor inconvenaces, the “CRSP Yard” may be the way to go when shipping personnel property home.

Service Member's Group Life Insurance

Life Insurance is a very important and valuable benefit for service members. At the time I wrote my book, The Service Member’s Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed., service members who died while on active duty received up to $400,000 and under certain situations could receive even more money. Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance or SGLI is life insurance policy the covers service members who die or are killed. The money is paid directly to the named beneficiary or beneficiaries upon the death of the service member. This money could also be used to fund a Trust. The trustee would then carry out the wishes of the deceased service member. Additionally, there are other monies paid to the family upon the death of a service member in combat. I discuss those benefits in greater detail in my book.

It is very important that as a service member you review your SGLI policy to include beneficiary information for changes or necessary modifications. A thorough review of your insurance policy is a must and should be done yearly regardless of your deployment status. You need to review your beneficiary information just in case something unfortunate happens to you the service member. You want to make certain that the person receiving the death benefit actually is the intended recipient or beneficiary. You certainly want to ensure your intended beneficiary is provided for if you are killed while serving your country.

I know of several cases where because the service member did not update their SGLI policy, an ex-spouse or someone other then the intended beneficiary received the insurance money. In situations like that, there is little the intended beneficiary can do, especially without court intervention. Even then, the intended beneficiary has very little to adequately show they were the intended beneficiary. Think of it this way, if it were that easy to contest the named beneficiary, courts would be tied up more then they are already with cases of folks trying to overturn what the court assumes is the “will” of the deceased. If you find yourself in a situation like that, contact an attorney immediately to discuss all of your possible options.